TJ Brake Replacement

G

grabeb

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 29, 2021
Messages
246
Location
Kansas
So I need to replace the front brakes on our 01 TJ Sport. Simple enough, but looking for some feedback on setup.

Long/Short, I replaced the rear back in the fall, front still ok, and ended up having to buy new plain jane rotors as well....couldn't believe what it all cost, but that's besides the point with the price of things lately. I also have a 2012 Yukon XL Denali and it needed brakes and I tow my bass boat with it through the Ozarks and go on trips in the mountains, etc. I wanted better brakes on it. Ended up buying Power Stop Drilled/slotted brakes on Amazon for that truck after looking into them for some time and finally pulling the trigger. I am amazed at how well that beast stops now, night/day different. Getting ready to likely add them to another full size SUV my wife drives.

My question is would the drilled/slotted be a bad idea on the Jeep? This isn't an off-road jeep at this time as my daughter drives it to school and it's basically stock, but I'd imagine at some point, she'll want to go play with it. I don't think cost difference is that much from buying these through Amazon vs going to O'Reilly and grabbing what they have on the shelf.

I've always kind of been under impression that drilled/slotted wasn't really great for street use, more for track use, but after having them on my Yukon....I'm just amazed at how smoothly and quickly I can stop vs the stock setup.
 
P man said:
Stock replacement parts are all you need
Click to expand...
So no real benefit stepping things up! I was back on Amazon looking and maybe that brand doesn't offer the drilled/slotted for the TJ, just plain. I thought they did. It also appears that it should be drum rear.....I can't recall, now I'm curious! It's been too long since I messed with those I guess.

Thanks
 
grabeb said:
So I need to replace the front brakes on our 01 TJ Sport. Simple enough, but looking for some feedback on setup.

Long/Short, I replaced the rear back in the fall, front still ok, and ended up having to buy new plain jane rotors as well....couldn't believe what it all cost, but that's besides the point with the price of things lately. I also have a 2012 Yukon XL Denali and it needed brakes and I tow my bass boat with it through the Ozarks and go on trips in the mountains, etc. I wanted better brakes on it. Ended up buying Power Stop Drilled/slotted brakes on Amazon for that truck after looking into them for some time and finally pulling the trigger. I am amazed at how well that beast stops now, night/day different. Getting ready to likely add them to another full size SUV my wife drives.

My question is would the drilled/slotted be a bad idea on the Jeep? This isn't an off-road jeep at this time as my daughter drives it to school and it's basically stock, but I'd imagine at some point, she'll want to go play with it. I don't think cost difference is that much from buying these through Amazon vs going to O'Reilly and grabbing what they have on the shelf.

I've always kind of been under impression that drilled/slotted wasn't really great for street use, more for track use, but after having them on my Yukon....I'm just amazed at how smoothly and quickly I can stop vs the stock setup.
Click to expand...

The rotors being drilled and slotted is not what increased your braking power, unless you were experiencing brake fade from excessive heat before. It is more likely the materials of the rotor/pad that you installed.

As for TJ replacements, if you’re looking for a nice upgrade in braking performance, check blackmagicbrakes.com. @mrblaine who runs the store offers everything from OEM-compatible replacement pads and rotors to big-brake kits for better braking performance with larger tires.
 
  • Like
  • USA Proud
Reactions: Jerry Bransford, CharlesHS, macleanflood and 2 others
grabeb said:
So I need to replace the front brakes on our 01 TJ Sport. Simple enough, but looking for some feedback on setup.

Long/Short, I replaced the rear back in the fall, front still ok, and ended up having to buy new plain jane rotors as well....couldn't believe what it all cost, but that's besides the point with the price of things lately. I also have a 2012 Yukon XL Denali and it needed brakes and I tow my bass boat with it through the Ozarks and go on trips in the mountains, etc. I wanted better brakes on it. Ended up buying Power Stop Drilled/slotted brakes on Amazon for that truck after looking into them for some time and finally pulling the trigger. I am amazed at how well that beast stops now, night/day different. Getting ready to likely add them to another full size SUV my wife drives.

My question is would the drilled/slotted be a bad idea on the Jeep? This isn't an off-road jeep at this time as my daughter drives it to school and it's basically stock, but I'd imagine at some point, she'll want to go play with it. I don't think cost difference is that much from buying these through Amazon vs going to O'Reilly and grabbing what they have on the shelf.

I've always kind of been under impression that drilled/slotted wasn't really great for street use, more for track use, but after having them on my Yukon....I'm just amazed at how smoothly and quickly I can stop vs the stock setup.
Click to expand...

Get some centric rotors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford, CharlesHS, L J and 1 other person
I'd use BM brakes and Centric rotors even if I had stock size tires. I just wouldn't brake as hard.
BMB decal (2).jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford, JMT, grabeb and 1 other person
grabeb said:
finally pulling the trigger. I am amazed at how well that beast stops now, night/day different.
Click to expand...

Tob said:
The rotors being drilled and slotted is not what increased your braking power, unless you were experiencing brake fade from excessive heat before. It is more likely the materials of the rotor/pad that you installed.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
That; and you went from old brakes to new brakes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ColoJeep and Jerry Bransford
I've had Black Magic Brakes pads on my LJ with stock tires/stock brakes and now with 35s and the big brake kit. My only caution with the BMB pads is that the Jeep needs to see regular heavy brake use to keep the pads working at their best. If the Jeep sees light and very infrequent heavy braking, they're probably not the best choice.
 
  • USA Proud
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford and grabeb
LONGJP2 said:
Agreed.
That; and you went from old brakes to new brakes.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I've had the truck since fairly low miles and it never stopped as well. I've also had numerous other similar, 2wheel and 4 wheel suburbans trucks and yukons and they never stopped as well either, even with new brakes and rotors. It is smoother breaking and much more responsive now.

My understanding is the slotted gets rid of the heat (which would be good in mountains and towing) , the drill holes increase breaking power.
 
L J said:
I've had Black Magic Brakes pads on my LJ with stock tires/stock brakes and now with 35s and the big brake kit. My only caution with the BMB pads is that the Jeep needs to see regular heavy brake use to keep the pads working at their best. If the Jeep sees light and very infrequent heavy braking, they're probably not the best choice.
Click to expand...

That makes sense and my daughter is pretty light footed.

Years ago I had an old 78 CJ5 with 33x12.50. I don't recall which tires, they were fairly open tread design, but I swear that thing stopped better in snow and ice than dry roads.

Sadly, I don't get to drive the TJ a lot as it's "her" car and I respect that but it's a blast when i do. If I had room in my driveway I'd buy myself one, but I have other toys taking up the space. I just want to make certain it stops as best as it can.

The off the shelf "best select" or whatever brand they carry at the time that the local parts house offer just seem marginally good. Especially after upgrading my truck. I always turn or replace rotors/ drums when doing pads/shoes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: L J
Hokahay said:
drilled or slotted rotors might be ok on your corvette. On a jeep not so much.
Click to expand...

That's the answer I was looking for. I'll just go with their non drilled and slotted version. Thank you.

I was actually partly wondering if either of those features might help with driving through a creek/ River Bank area. I guess that's why I started wondering.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
grabeb said:
That's the answer I was looking for. I'll just go with their non drilled and slotted version. Thank you.

I was actually partly wondering if either of those features might help with driving through a creek/ River Bank area. I guess that's why I started wondering.
Click to expand...

Worse.
Gravel and/or sand caught in the slots and holes could damage the pads.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C01TUS/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: inkedrose
KennethS said:
I am not seeing how reducing the friction surface area will increase braking power. Unless the laws of physics have changed and I didn't notice.
Click to expand...

From Brembo Brakes. Pretty much every Google result says same basic thing. I personally don't claim to be a Physics Wizz, I also understand some is sales pitch, but my truck stops better than it ever has and there's zero doubt about that. Are they going to be better on everything, I do question that and for reasons posted here I do believe they may not be great idea for jeeps and I'm good with that.

https://www.brembo.com/en/company/news/brembo-perforated-disc-5-reasons-for-purchasing#:~:text=Compared to a standard disc,disc and pad is greater.
 
Last edited:
The reason for slotted rotors is to improve brake output by removing gas and dust that is trapped between the pad and rotor. This gas and dust reduces the friction force by preventing the pad from fully contacting the rotor. As posted above; they are best suited for track and performance vehicles.
Shortly after purchasing my '01 TJ Sport I inspected the rear drum brakes; most of the drum brake parts were rusted, the wheel cylinders were leaking, the brake shoes were saturated with brake fluid and the drums were worn out.
Sourced the drum brake replacement parts and decided it was more economical to do a disc brake conversion instead.
Forum members are wondering how a disc brake conversion can be more economical than performing the rear brake parts replacement.
I received a buddie discount on the conversion parts, the installation was performed by a friend, my brother and myself; the labor cost was me taking them out for lunch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: grabeb
grabeb said:
Yes, but I've had the truck since fairly low miles and it never stopped as well. I've also had numerous other similar, 2wheel and 4 wheel suburbans trucks and yukons and they never stopped as well either, even with new brakes and rotors. It is smoother breaking and much more responsive now.

My understanding is the slotted gets rid of the heat (which would be good in mountains and towing) , the drill holes increase breaking power.
Click to expand...
The holes help to dissipate heat if you're racing and they are turning red-hot, not to mention helping to dissipate the gasses from off-gassing during extreme heat situations developed in racing scenarios.

But even when descending down out of the mountains as I did regularly, the brakes don't get hot enough to benefit from slots or holes in the rotors. In fact, the reduced surface area of the rotor caused by the slots and holes drilled into them reduce the brake's swept surface area, that part of the rotor the brake pads grab onto. So there's less rotor for the brake pads to grip and to hang onto.

I'd go strictly for a conventional premium cast rotor like the Centric Premium. I'd recommend Black Magic Brakes as were above several times but you're still running stock size tires so I personally don't believe they're warranted. Do stay away from any so-called "lifetime warranty" brake pads which are the worst at braking. They are made so hard and so wear-resistant that they're not good at braking, they're only good at lasting a long time. With stock size tires I'd probably go with the EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads which are amazing. They were the best until Black Magic came out with theirs but their pads need regular aggressive braking to keep them properly broken in.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
The holes help to dissipate heat if you're racing and they are turning red-hot, not to mention helping to dissipate the gasses from off-gassing during extreme heat situations developed in racing scenarios.

But even when descending down out of the mountains as I did regularly, the brakes don't get hot enough to benefit from slots or holes in the rotors. In fact, the reduced surface area of the rotor caused by the slots and holes drilled into them reduce the brake's swept surface area, that part of the rotor the brake pads grab onto. So there's less rotor for the brake pads to grip and to hang onto.

I'd go strictly for a conventional premium cast rotor like the Centric Premium. I'd recommend Black Magic Brakes as were above several times but you're still running stock size tires so I personally don't believe they're warranted. Do stay away from any so-called "lifetime warranty" brake pads which are the worst at braking. They are made so hard and so wear-resistant that they're not good at braking, they're only good at lasting a long time. With stock size tires I'd probably go with the EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads which are amazing. They were the best until Black Magic came out with theirs but their pads need regular aggressive braking to keep them properly broken in.
Click to expand...

I’m thinking about doing the disk brake conversion. I’m running 35s. I’m looking to go the black magic route. Should I get the big brake conversion or leave it the original size?
 
Mjw85 said:
I’m thinking about doing the disk brake conversion. I’m running 35s. I’m looking to go the black magic route. Should I get the big brake conversion or leave it the original size?
Click to expand...
Regarding your disk brake conversion, are you talking about converting rear drum brakes to disk brakes which will not help with braking/stopping, or upgrading the front brakes?
 
Top Bottom
Back